These Southern salad recipes skip the lettuce but not the flavor! From creamy chicken salad to fruit salad, these dishes are perfect for any occasion.
When folks hear “salad,” they often think of a big bowl of leafy greens, but in the South, salads don’t always come with lettuce. Some of our most beloved dishes—like pea salad, macaroni salad, and cornbread salad—fall into the “saladless salad” category. These dishes are creamy, tangy, crunchy, and packed with bold flavors that make them just as satisfying as any traditional salad.
Whether it’s a holiday gathering, church potluck, or a simple weeknight supper, these salads always find their way onto the table down here. A good Southern saladless salad can be hearty enough to stand on its own or perfectly portioned as a side dish to anything from fried chicken to barbecue. Plus, they’re often make-ahead friendly, which means less stress when it’s time to eat.
So if you’re looking for a side dish that’s full of flavor and Southern charm—without a single leaf of lettuce in sight—this roundup is for you. From creamy to tangy to downright nostalgic, these saladless salads are tried-and-true classics that never go out of style.
25 Lettuceless Southern Salads
These Southern salad recipes skip the lettuce but not the flavor! From creamy chicken salad to fruit salad, these dishes are perfect for any occasion.
This recipe for my Pecan Chicken Salad is quick and filled with tons of great flavor. With juicy chicken, celery, onion, mayo, and toasted pecans, it’s great on a sandwich or crackers.
This Easy Pea Salad recipe only calls for 5 ingredients and is ready in about 15 minutes! Made with frozen peas, mayo, ranch dressing, red onion, and diced ham, it’s the perfect side for nearly any occasion.
This easy Cornbread Salad recipe is a Southern potluck layered salad favorite and is sure to please just about everyone! The best part is you can customize with your favorite veggies and flavors!
A simple cucumber and onion salad that combines flavors of sweet onion and tart vinegar to create a beloved, quick and easy recipe.
This Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad recipe is a cool, crisp, and tangy salad. It’s a summer staple side dish that is quick, easy, and versatile.
Enjoy the nostalgic flavors of Classic Macaroni Salad. A staple at potlucks in the South, this pasta salad recipe is an easy and filling side dish!
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe is a classic sweet and salty layered dessert with a pretzel crust, creamy filling, and strawberry topping.
This quick and easy recipe for Broccoli Salad combines the best ingredients for a no-cook side dish perfect for warm summer gatherings.
This recipe for Carrot Cranberry Salad swaps the classic raisins for dried cranberries and adds in pineapple, toasted pecans, and lemon for a bright, fresh, crunchy side your family will love!
This Easy Egg Salad combines simple ingredients like eggs, mayo, mustard, celery, and pickle relish to create an amazingly delicious spread that’s perfect to make egg salad sandwiches, wraps, or even serve on crackers.
The classic flavors of a Southern tomato sandwich combine in this quick Tomato Cracker Salad. It’s the perfect side dish for summer with refreshing and simple ingredients!
This Classic Southern Potato Salad recipe is a simple Southern side dish filled with flavor and perfect for barbecues and potlucks.
This Garlic Soy Cucumber Salad is crisp, refreshing, and packed with bold flavor. It’s the perfect quick and easy side dish for any meal!
Creamy Grape Salad is a refreshing dish for any crowd. Throw it together with a handful of simple ingredients – grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar and pecans.
If you’re looking for something different to put on the table this year, try this super delicious Loaded Baked Potato Salad! With bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions, it has all the fantastic flavor of a loaded baked potato in a cool and fresh potato salad. It’s the best of both worlds!
The perfect summer fruit salad with a surprise, secret ingredient. This delicious fruit salad is easy to make, delicious, and so refreshing.
This Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon combines the sweetness of fresh corn with the smokiness of bacon. Throw in some red onion, tomatoes, basil, and a creamy dressing made with mayo, lemon juice, and just a little bacon fat and you’ve got a bright and colorful side dish that’s perfect for your next summer bbq, gathering, or potluck.
This Southern Pear Salad is a vintage recipe that combines canned pears, mayo, cheese, and cherries into a dish that’s as quirky as it is delicious.
Pineapple Walnut Salad is a unique Southern treat featuring the creamy texture and sweet flavors of crushed pineapple, cream cheese, Cool Whip, and walnuts.
This quick and easy Creamy Cucumber Salad is the perfect cool and creamy summer side dish! It features sliced cucumbers coated with a sour-cream dressing and fresh dill.
This fresh fruit salad with lime honey dressing is bright, refreshing, and lightly sweetened—perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a quick, healthy snack!
This Bacon and Blue Broccoli Salad recipe is the perfect spring and summer side. The smokey bacon, sharp red onion, and blue cheese flavors blend beautifully for a tasty twist on the classic broccoli salad!
This Bacon and Pea Salad is creamy, crunchy, and packed with flavor—perfect for cookouts, potlucks, or an easy make-ahead side dish.
This quick Easy Corn Salad recipes uses frozen corn as a shortcut to deliver delicious corn salad flavor in a fraction of the time. Corn, green chilies, green onions, tomatoes, and a creamy, tangy dressing combine to create this summer BBQ favorite!
Southern Ambrosia is a quick, easy, and refreshing side dish or dessert. The simple ingredients and recipe make this a trusty crowd-pleaser for any table.
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